LEGISLATION paving the way for a bottle-return scheme in England and Northern Ireland came into force today (Monday).
The European-style initiative will see people charged a deposit when buying a plastic, steel or aluminium container before receiving the money back when they hand it in for recycling at a collection point.
New parliamentary regulations have now been introduced to enable the appointment of a managing body for the scheme in April this year ahead of its scheduled launch in October 2027.
But what does it mean for Scotland?
The Scottish Government’s own deposit return scheme was scrapped in 2023 after the UK Government refused to allow for the inclusion of glass.
Scotland's scheme would have seen shoppers pay an extra 20p when purchasing a beverage in a can or bottle, which would then be returned to the consumer once it was brought back for recycling.
Despite the UK Government initially allowing devolved nations to design their own scheme, it refused to provide the Scottish Government with an exemption from the Internal Market Act, particularly in relation to the inclusion of glass in the scheme.
Then circular economy minister Lorna Slater said that without an exemption Scotland's scheme was no longer viable.
Since, waste firm Biffa has even started a £150 million legal action against the Scottish Government after the plans fell through, as it looks to recoup money lost after investing in the recycling scheme.
The new legislation announced by the UK Government on Monday signals that a scheme in England and Northern Ireland is planning to commence from October 2027.
The Scottish Government will align with the scheme, albeit introducing separate legislation and guidance.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s DRS Regulations were passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2020 and the scheme was due to launch in March last year. However, the previous UK Government's refusal to agree a full Internal Market Act exclusion for Scotland’s scheme meant we were left with no choice but to delay DRS and align with the UK scheme.
“The Scottish Government remains committed to seeing DRS delivered by October 2027 to realise the economic and environmental benefits it will bring and will continue to work with other nations to that end.”
Lorna Slater hits out at UK Government
The Scottish Greens co-leader said she was “pleased” that the UK Government has “finally done what it promised to do years ago and caught up with Scotland” by proposing its own deposit return scheme.
“This just makes it more baffling why the UK Government chose to collapse Scotland’s scheme, which was due to launch in 2023,” she added, however.
“We could already be seeing the benefits in Scotland of less litter on our verges, in our parks and on our beaches, if the UK had simply granted an exemption to the Internal Market Act and respected Scottish devolution.
“Now the UK Government will have a fight on their hands to get this scheme off the ground; how they convince businesses to invest in this scheme when they collapsed the last attempt in the UK, is a barrier they will have to cross.
Slater went on: “I am disappointed to see that the Labour Government have kept the Conservative-era exclusion of glass from the scheme. Glass bottles were taken out by Rishi Sunak’s Government without any explanation.
"Business and environmental cases both show that the scheme is more effective and viable when it includes glass. A bottle recycling scheme that doesn’t include glass bottles seems like a bit of joke.
“I hope that the UK Government will not let its low ambition hold back Scotland and Wales from including glass in our schemes.
“Deposit return schemes are an effective way of reducing litter, increasing recycling and saving local authorities the costs of managing drinks container waste. It is well overdue to have such schemes in the UK.”
